Over the Edge
by N'Cole Strife
Summary: It's been almost a month since Cloud Strife defeated Sephiroth and his three remnants. Now that everything is settle, will the swordsman be able to live the life he always wanted? *Takes place after Advent Children*
1. My Favorite Soldier

**A/N: **After watching Advent Children one night, I was wondering what Cloud and his friends would do now that they rescued the children, defeated Sephiroth, along with his three remnants. I was thinking why not have Cloud at least try to live a somewhat normal life.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children or its characters. Hell, I wish I did.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Prologue

Whoever thought that there could be so many battles in such little time? It's pretty funny when you think that you can't complete a certain task and in the end, someone you know proves you wrong, or maybe you might even proved yourself wrong. That's the way Cloud Strife felt. The young ex-Soldier went through so much hurt and pain for the past few years, he started to think that he couldn't hold on anymore, especially after the death of his best friend Zack Fair. Zack wasn't the only person Cloud lost; he also lost Zack's girlfriend, Aerith Gainsborough. The swordsman really thought he lost everything because he and Aerith were such good friends. Believe it or not, Cloud had thought about committing suicide. He really felt like everything was his fault that he thought what was the point for him to stay alive. Cloud thought he had no one else to turn to. That is until someone recognized the spiky-haired gentleman one day and told him that a young lady named Tifa Lockhart was worried about him.

From the moment he heard that name, he immediately started to remember her beautiful face, her sweet, warm smile and her long dark- brown hair. He often wondered if he would be able to see Tifa again. The swordsman remembered Tifa told him she was planning to move to Edge and start her business at the Seventh Heaven bar and work as a bartender. Now, the blonde-headed ex-Soldier knew it was his chance to go to the city of Edge and see his longtime best friend. As soon as he entered the bar, he was instantly welcomed with a gigantic hug from the Avalanche fighter.

They both later had a long, friendly conversation about how things change over the years. Cloud was so grateful to have someone so generous and who was willing to sit and listen to whatever he had to say. What was so surprising to Cloud was the bartender asked him if he could stay with her. The ex-Soldier knew he couldn't say no because this was the prefect time to start his life over to a fresh start.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

**My Favorite Soldier**

It's been nearly a month since the young swordsman, Cloud Strife, rescued the children from the terrible trio, Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo. Anywhere he went to deliver packages to his customers, they've been greeting and thanking him for being such a hero to them and their children. Cloud liked the attention, but at the same time, he kind of wished that people would just treat him like a normal human being. After all, the ex-Soldier was the type of person who didn't really like to hang with a huge crowd. Cloud was just happy he had done a special deed, but really, he thought he shouldn't be the only person to be looked up to as a hero. His friends, Vincent, Barret, Cid and the others joined in to help him save the children in the city of Midgar. It wasn't an easy job, but it was well worth it. The difficult task had brought the spiky-blonde and his team together to conquer whatever it was that stood in their way. He never thought he would be able to accomplish his mission, but his own actions and friends proved him wrong. Cloud couldn't thank his friend enough, especially Tifa. He sometimes wondered what he could do to show the Avalanche fighter his appreciation for being there by his side even when he left her tons of time.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

The first day of spring greeted the city of Edge with comfortable, warm temperatures, brightly-colored flowers blossoming in the fields, tall trees were coated with live, green leaves and citizens were enjoying this beautiful weather as if it was their very last day here on this planet. Twenty-one year old Cloud Strife most definitely enjoyed the season as the warm breeze touched his soft and virile face as he rode on his Fenrir motorcycle down the long, deserted road. He worked so hard all day without taking one single (well, except whenever he had to use the restroom, of course). Now he was anxious to get home. He wondered if Tifa had made dinner. Even if she didn't, he didn't mind; he wasn't really hungry. Of course until he arrived at Seventh Heaven around a quarter to seven that evening. With the engine still running, the delivery boy got off his motorcycle and approached the garage to open it. He climbed back on the Fenrir and slowly drove into the garage.

The smell of spaghetti, grilled chicken and macaroni and cheese immediately hit Cloud's perfectly shaped nose after he entered the kitchen. His stomach started to growl furiously as he walked further into the kitchen. Cloud wanted to hurry up and find that food so he could satisfy his uncontrollable cravings.

"Hey, my favorite soldier," said a familiar voice. Cloud immediately recognized that voice. He looked over to his right and saw a young woman preparing dinner behind the kitchen counter.

_Favorite soldier…_The spiky-haired fighter thought to himself. Hearing something like that come from Tifa really meant a lot to him. He never thought he would be someone's favorite. The bartender looked from the delicious food that was on a china plate and smiled at the handsome blonde. Cloud felt his stomach jump. He always loved to see Tifa smile.

"You came just in time for dinner," said Tifa, bringing Cloud's plate over to the dinner table.

"Thanks, Tifa. Let me wash my hands first."

"Okay. Oh, and while you add it, can you tell Marlene and Denzel that dinner's ready?"

"Okay," Cloud nodded and went upstairs. He walked down the hallway and he could hear some laughing and shouting coming from the children's bedroom over to his left.

He leaned his upper body to the right by the doorway and saw two kids sitting on Marlene's bed, playing a board game (since Denzel's bed was covered with comic books and toys). Cloud knocked on the side of the doorway three times. Marlene and Denzel jumped and quickly turned their heads and saw their best friend.

"Cloud!" they both shouted as they ran towards the ex-Soldier.

They were both jumping up and down while giving him a big hug around his waist. Cloud couldn't help but to laugh a little.

"Okay, okay, okay," Cloud patted the children's small backs, trying to calm them down from such excitement. "Let's go wash our hands. Dinner's ready."

"Okay!" the children beamed, racing out of their room

After washing his hands, the swordsman headed back downstairs to the kitchen. What he saw before him, made his mouth curve into a small grin. What the blonde saw was a beautiful, happy family at the dinner table. Well, perhaps not a happy family because Marlene and Denzel were yelling at each other, as usual. For whatever reason they could be fighting over, Cloud knew that Tifa could take care of situations when it came to the kids. She always knew how to discipline them and still keep that soft and sweet side of her at the same time. That's what Cloud always liked about Tifa. No matter what the situation was, good or bad, she knew how to stay calm and relaxed. Tifa warned the little munchkins that if they didn't settle down and eat, they wouldn't get any desserts, and even if they did settle down, it was too late; it was getting close to their bedtime.

It was a little after nine in the evening. Tifa had already told the kids to get ready for bed, and she was just finishing up with the dishes. Cloud took a ten minute shower. The warm water from the shower head felt so good hitting his perfectly toned body. He wanted to stay here forever, but he knew he would end up wasting a huge amount of water. Cloud peeped his head out of the shower curtains to see if his shampoo was anywhere near the bathroom sink.

"Damn."

The swordsman just realized he had planned on going to the store to buy himself some shampoo after he made deliveries today, but unfortunately, he forgot. Now what he was going to do? Cloud couldn't wash his head full of blonde hair with just water. There was only one thing left for him to do…Ask Tifa.

_This is going to be embarrassing._ Cloud thought. He never expected that it was going to come down to this. The ex-Soldier took a deep breath and carefully stepped out of the shower and dried his feet on the towel that was placed in front of the tub. Standing behind the door, Cloud pulled open the door just about three inches. He didn't know whether Tifa was still downstairs in the living room (Cloud helped Barret add the extra room just recently) or she was in her bedroom. It was completely quiet, he figured that the children were in bed fast asleep.

Cloud stuck his head out of the door and looked over to his right to see if the bartender was in her room. He couldn't tell; he could only see her lamp sitting on her nightstand table and her full sized bed was empty.

"Tifa," Cloud said, not quite in a whisper.

He waited for a response, but all he could hear was Denzel snoring softly across the hallway.

"Tifa," he said a little louder. Still, no response.

Boy, he hated to shout. He would probably wake up Marlene because she wasn't much of a heavy sleeper, but Denzel was. So Cloud had less to worry. He cleared his throat and tried again.

"Tifa!"

_She should hear me now._

Three seconds later, the blonde heard some footsteps coming up the stairs. Tifa later showed up with a frown on her face.

"Cloud, the kids are asleep," she told Cloud firmly.

"I'm sorry," the delivery boy whispered. "I need to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Do you mind if I could borrow your shampoo so I can wash my hair? I forgot to go to the store to buy some."

The frown slowly faded away when the martial artist tried her best not laugh at her best friend's awkwardness.

"What's funny?" Cloud asked, almost forgetting that he was standing behind the bathroom door naked.

"It's nothing." Tifa hated lying. "I'll be back with my shampoo." She tucked a strand of her brunette hair behind her left ear, smiled at the swordsman and walked over to the children's room to see if they were still sound asleep. Fortunately, they were. Tifa slowly closed the door and went to her room. Cloud stepped back from the door and slightly tilted his head back and exhaled sharply. Just seconds later, a small tap on the door startled him. He slightly opened the door and saw Tifa standing on the other side with a shampoo bottle in her hand. Without opening the door any further, the swordsman reached his right hand out of the door and took the shampoo.

"Thanks," he said awkwardly.

"No problem."

Cloud really hoped and prayed that Tifa did not see one single inch of his body, except for his head and neck, that is. Surely, he knew that there was nothing to be embarrassed about when it came to his body. Cloud usually worked out whenever he wasn't working, and plus, he had been living with Tifa for several months now.

So why should he feel awkward? Well, not only he had to use a woman's shampoo, but he also had to ask for it in his birthday suit. Cloud mentally cursed at himself for being such an embarrassment in front of Tifa. He just hoped she wouldn't tell anybody.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Hey, there." Cloud lifted his head up from his pillow and saw Tifa standing by the doorway with that warm smile of hers.

"Hey," Cloud replied, pushing himself up into a sitting position on the bed.

"Can I come in?" Cloud motioned the bartender to come in. He swung his legs over to the side of the bed so Tifa could sit next to him.

"I've noticed that your light was still on and the door was still open, and I just thought you were still awake," the brunette explained, keeping her voice in a somewhat whisper so she wouldn't wake up the kids, since their room was right next door to Cloud's.

"Yeah, I was just trying to wait for my hair to get spiky again." Cloud ran his fingers through his soft hair. Apparently, one strand of hair at the top of the swordsman's head managed to stand up.

Tifa chuckled quietly and said, "Your hair is mysterious, Cloud."

"I guess," Cloud spoke softly, looking down at his bare feet. "And it has an unusual smell."

The bartender leaned over to smell Cloud's hair, her nose barely touching it. "Strawberries," she said, moving away. "One of my favorite scents."

"I've never had my hair smell like strawberries before," the blonde chuckled quietly.

The two adults started to laugh, but they almost forgot the children were asleep. There was a moment of silence for awhile, except for the crickets making beautiful music underneath the starry sky. Cloud didn't know he still had his window open, but he always enjoyed listening to the crickets.

"I think it's time for us to get some sleep," Tifa said, looking at Cloud's digital clock sitting on his nightstand table, which said 10:40. "Well, I'll see you in the morning, okay? Goodnight, Cloud."

"Night, Tifa," Cloud's bright blue eyes were locked on the twenty year old, watching her getting ready to walk out of the room. "Tifa?"

"Yeah?"

As usual, whenever he was nervous or frustrated, the ex-Soldier rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. He was extremely nervous when Tifa had her mahogany eyes in contact with his.

"I-I, um…" Cloud thought he sounded ridiculous when he struggled to get the words to escape from his lips. "I….have a question to ask you."

"Yes, Cloud?" Tifa had a worried look on her face as she approached back over to Cloud.

"It's not bad," the swordsman instantly added when he noticed the martial artist's expression.

"Thank heavens," Tifa sat back down on the bed with Cloud. "So, what is it?"

"Um, you know earlier when you called me your favorite soldier?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Why did you call me that?"

The bartender's eyes sparkled like stars and smiled. "Because you are my favorite soldier, Cloud. You know that. I mean, you may be an ex-Soldier, but you will always be _the_ soldier to me."

With that last statement Tifa just said, made the corners of Cloud's mouth curve into a beautiful smile.

**A/N: **Well, that's the end of this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. I'm getting ready to work on my next chapter. It might take awhile. So please be patient with me. So if you like this chapter, please, please, PLEASE review!!!! Tell me what you thought about it, and if I had made any mistakes, let me know, but NO harsh criticism. I would be very happy if you review. Thanks! :D


	2. Good News & Bad News

**A/N:** Thank you so much for the reviews!! They keep me motivated, so keep it up!! I want to apologize for causing such confusion in my first chapter. I was trying to write MY version of the introduction. I should've mentioned about that earlier. I just thought you should know that. Anyway, here's chapter two. I was struggling with coming up with some better ideas and this was all I could think of. I hope you'll enjoy it.

**Good News & Bad News**

Just around noon on a Saturday, Barret stopped by to pick up the kids and told Tifa and Cloud that Marlene and Denzel were going to stay with him for a couple of weeks. He figured the two, young adults deserved a break from baby-sitting.

The entire house was now quiet, regardless of the refrigerator making a soft humming sound in the kitchen, the birds chirping and the vehicles passing by on the street.

"What do you think we should do today?" the bartender asked, taking a seat in one of the barstools.

"I don't know," Cloud propped one elbow on the counter. "Maybe we should------."

Before he had the chance to finish, there was a knock on the door. He turned around and walked over to the door. There was a teenage girl with short black hair standing on the other side of the door.

"Hiya, Spiky!" she said cheerfully.

"Hey, Yuffie. Come in." The swordsman stepped out of the way to let the guest in.

"Hiya, Tifa! I need to talk to you about something."

"Sure," said Tifa.

The ninja's mouth was opened, but no words came out. She placed her hands on her hips and glared at Cloud as if he had done something wrong.

"Do you mind, Cloud? Tifa and I need to have a girl talk," she told him.

Cloud's eyes shifted from Yuffie over to Tifa who just smiled and gave him a nod.

"Okay," he finally said. "I'll be upstairs."

Yuffie waited until the blonde was out of sight. "Tifa, promise me you won't tell anybody, including Vincent, alright?"

"Okay," the bartender replied.

The short-haired fighter pulled out a stool that was in front of her and sat down. She looked around to see if Cloud managed to sneak back downstairs to eavesdrop, which he would never do.

She swallowed her spit. "I have a crush on someone."

"Who?"

"Vincent." Yuffie sounded embarrassed.

"Vincent?" the brunette repeated.

"Yes!" the materia hunter folded her arms on top of the counter and rested her head, face down.

The response left Tifa speechless. Imagine that. Yuffie and Vincent---- together. Instead of being able to find the words to say, she placed a hand on Yuffie's back and rubbed it up and down.

"It's okay," she assured her friend.

"No, it's not!" Yuffie quickly raised her head up. "What if Vincent doesn't have a crush on me?"

"You'll never know until you find out."

The bartender had a point. She remembered having a crush on someone, but she never really mentioned it to anybody. It couldn't have been Cloud because they were best friends, nothing more, but then again…...

"Tifa," Yuffie began, sitting straight up. "You never told me about your secret crush."

And that's when it hit her right in the pit of her stomach. "My crush?" She laughed nervously.

"I think I know who it is," the ninja teased.

Tifa's mahogany eyes studied Yuffie's cautiously.

"You have a crush on-----."

"Um, I was wondering if it's okay for me to come down here now, because I'm kind of hungry." Tifa was so relieved to hear Cloud's voice just in the nick of time.

"Spiky!" Yuffie squealed, giving the swordsman a toothy grin.

She hopped out of the chair and ran towards Cloud, grabbing him by the wrist. He nearly tripped over the last step as the hyperactive teenager pulled him over to where Tifa was.

"We were getting ready to talk about you." She shoved Cloud onto the stool she was sitting in.

"What's going on?" the blonde asked, exchanging looks.

"Tifa was just about to reveal her secret," the ninja announced.

"Yuffie!" the bartender said through clenched teeth.

"Secret?" The two women rambled on while Cloud was trying to figure out what in the world was going on.

_What could possibly be Tifa's secret? _He wondered. _And why hasn't she mentioned about it?_

"Excuse me," he said, trying to get his friends' attention.

Unfortunately, they didn't hear him.

"C'mon, Teef! I told you who my secret crush was. That's not fair!"

"Hello?" the swordsman tried again. Since that didn't work, he stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly.

Yuffie and Tifa abruptly stopped arguing and looked at the delivery boy.

"Can one of you please tell me what is going on?" Cloud asked, keeping his voice steady.

"Your friend has something to tell you." Yuffie answered simply.

The bartender glared at her. She later eased the look in her eyes when she looked at Cloud who was patiently waiting for an answer to his question. Tifa didn't realize Yuffie was right behind her when she struggled to push Tifa closer to Cloud.

"Um, hey, Cloud," Tifa couldn't think of anything better to say.

He smiled a little and nodded. "What do you have to tell me?"

Just when the bartender was getting ready to explain what was going on, she noticed Cloud jumped up and he held up his index finger, telling her to wait. Reaching his hand into the back pocket of his jeans, he pulled out his cell phone. He looked at it and saw _Vincent_ flashed on the screen. He flipped the phone open and held it up against his ear.

"Hello?" he answered. "Yeah, I'm here. What happened?"

A frown started to form on his face. He rose up from the stool and started pacing around, clenching his jaw. Tifa's eyes followed every step the spiky-haired swordsman took. Yuffie was eager to tell him to hurry up and get off the phone.

"Okay. I'm on my way," Cloud later said and hung up.

"What's wrong?" the brunette got up and approached him.

"That was Vincent," Cloud sighed heavily.

Yuffie's heart skipped a beat.

"He said Cid has been in an accident."

**  
A/N:** Sorry if that was kind of short; I was running out of ideas. Anyway, chapter three is coming soon! Don't forget to review, please. I'll be more than happy! :)


	3. Taking Words From Friends

**A/N:** Thanks again for the reviews! They keep me going. Okay, here's chapter three. Whoo!!

**Taking Words From Friends**

"You can't be serious," Yuffie said.

"Cloud, what's going on?" Tifa asked, her voice starting to shake.

"Vincent didn't explain the whole story. I have to leave now."

"We'll come with you!" said Yuffie quickly.

"No, j-just stay here," the swordsman said in a firmly manner.

He slipped the phone back into his pocket and ascended up the stairs to get his keys and goggles. He later found the materia hunter standing in front of the stairs with her arms folded.

"C'mon, Cloud," she said. "We wanna help."

"Yuffie, you and Tifa just stay put, okay?" Cloud told her. "I'll be back." He headed towards the door when he saw the bartender had a worried look on her face.

"Let us know if everything is alright, okay?" She tried to keep her voice calm.

"I will," Cloud replied with a nod and walked out.

"Cloud can be such a jackass for not letting us help him," Yuffie scowled.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Vincent told the blonde that Cid was taken to Edge General Hospital. That's where he later met the dark-haired man. Vincent was standing over by the double doors outside. After Cloud found a place to park his Fenrir, he hurried over to the mystical man.

"Vincent, were you able to get anymore details?" he asked.

"Apparently, Cid was helping rebuild the rest of this city with the WRO when there was an explosion," Vincent explained.

"An explosion? H-how did that happen?" the blonde asked.

"As of right now," the former Turk looked up at the sky. "The answer is unknown."

The two remained silent. Cloud tried to figure out who or what could've caused the chaos and why. He could only hope and pray that it wasn't serious.

"Well, can we see him now?" Cloud finally broke the silence.

"No," Vincent answered darkly. "His wife Shera should be on her way now."

The pilot's wife later showed up with tears pouring down her face. The spiky-haired warrior wished that there was something he could do. He placed his arm around Shera's shoulders, and they both slowly walked inside the building, followed by Vincent.

Shera quietly told Cloud that he and Vincent could wait for her in the waiting room while she was going to ask the nurse some questions. She approached the front desk and saw a light brown-haired woman on the computer.

"Excuse me," Shera cleared her throat, reluctantly holding back more tears.

"Yes, ma'am?" the nurse looked up.

Shera told the nurse she needed to see her husband. Meanwhile, Vincent told Cloud he had to leave and find any clues that could lead to who or what caused the explosion. Later, Cloud got up when he saw Shera coming his way.

"Any news?" he asked.

"The nurse said Cid was taken to the emergency room. The doctors think he might have some broken bones, and----," she exhaled sharply. "He's unconscious. I won't be able to see him until the next couple of hours or so. I'm just going to stay here for awhile."

"I can stay here and keep you company, if you like," Cloud said kindly.

"Oh, you're too kind, Cloud," Shera smiled weakly. "But you don't have to do that. You've done so much for us and others in the past. You should settle down. It's my way of repaying you."

"Are you sure?" asked the swordsman.

"Yes. Reeve said he was going to meet me here later."

Cloud nodded and gave Shera a hug before he left. He never realized that something like this could happen. Cid kindly volunteered to help others rebuild all that was left, and this is what he gets in returned.

XxXxXxXxXxX

"Yuffie, stop. You're making me more nervous than I really am," Tifa said politely.

The ninja was pacing back and forth for the last five minutes, and Tifa was sitting on the couch with her legs tucked beneath her rear end.

"I'm sorry, Teef," Yuffie sat down next to the bartender. "I wanna know what's going on."

"I'm pretty sure Cloud will let us know soon," Tifa said. "I know he will."

The loud roaring sound of an engine made Yuffie hopped right on to her feet. She jumped over the coffee table and peered through the blinds on the window to see if she could see anything outside.

"Is that Cloud?" Tifa got up.

"I think so."

They heard the sound of keys jingling outside the door, and Cloud walked in with an emotionless look on his face.

"Cloud!" Tifa said. "Is everything okay?"

"Not really," the blonde replied without looking at Tifa or Yuffie. He set his keys on the counter and went over to the couch to sit down.

"Well, what happened?" Yuffie demanded. "Is Cid okay?"

After Cloud explained the whole story, the brunette slowly sat down on the right side of him without saying a word, and Yuffie lowered her head.

"Who could've done this?" Tifa later asked.

"I don't know," Cloud replied in that soft and quiet voice of his. "Vincent and the others are searching for any clues that could help."

"Were you able to see Cid?" Yuffie glanced up at Cloud.

"No."

"Well, I'm not going to stay here and let that total bastard get away with this," the material hunter said with determination. "We can't let Cid fight this alone."

"Yeah, she's right, Cloud," Tifa jumped in. "We can go and help."

"You can't," Cloud finally raised his head up.

"Why the hell not?" Yuffie frowned.

"Who knows what else could be out there?" the swordsman said, not realizing that he was raising his voice just a little.

He noticed Tifa jumped a little. He didn't mean to scare her if he did. He was just disappointed and perplexed on this situation.

"I just don't want you guys to get hurt or….worse," Cloud added, looking down again.

"It's okay, Cloud," Tifa smiled and placed her hand on the swordsman's broad shoulder.

He didn't understand why he was starting to get this strange feeling in his stomach right after Tifa touched him. Maybe he was hungry or something.

"I want to go and help, but Shera said I should just settle down," he continued.

"I think she's right," Yuffie sat down on the arm of the couch. "I mean face it, Spiky. You've been moving from place to place constantly as if you have bugs in your pants or something."

"What do you expect? I'm a delivery boy," Cloud told the ninja.

Yuffie rolled her eyes and headed towards the door. She turned around and faced Tifa.

"You're a martial artist, right?" Yuffie asked her.

"Yeah," replied Tifa.

"You should kick his ass whenever Cloud refuses to relax. Bye!"

"Kick my……?" Cloud hesitated.

Tifa had to laugh and said, "I would never do that to you, but Yuffie and Shera are right. Relax."

She got up and went upstairs to her bedroom, followed by Cloud.

"But what about the accident?" the spiky-haired swordsman asked. "I want to know who's behind this."

"I understand that," Tifa said, sitting down on the full sized bed. "But you said Vincent and the others are investigating, right?

"Yeah."

"Also, you said Shera was the one who told you that you should relax, right?"

"Yeah."

"So, why don't you do that?"

Cloud didn't really know why he should relax. He wished he could do two things at once. He hated to admit that Yuffie was right about him constantly moving from place to place; he was only doing his job. The only days he could relax were Saturdays and Sundays.

_Why should Yuffie be the one to tell me that I need to relax?_ Cloud thought._ She's the one that needs to relax, too busy bouncing around and annoying the crap out of people….._

"Cloud?" Tifa said, noticing the swordsman was staring off into space.

"Hmm?" he quickly glanced up at the brunette.

"Are you okay?" she asked with a short laugh. "Were you listening?"

"Yeah, I was just------."

"Come over here and sit down."

Cloud slipped his hands out of his pockets and approached Tifa. He sat down on the foot of the bed.

"I'm pretty sure you know that it was very generous of you for rushing over to the hospital to check and see if Cid was okay," she told Cloud. "And I'm also pretty sure that Shera was so happy that you were willing to help out, but just take her word for once."

"I'm trying to relax, Tifa," Cloud said quietly. "It's just…..I want to know who caused this, and why."

"Cloud," Tifa began, pushing her long bangs slightly off to the side. "We've been going through this before, haven't we?"

"Yeah."

Cloud definitely remembered the night when Tifa gave him a strong lecture. Those words she gave him never left his mind. All he wanted to do was help. Was that too much to ask?

"Cloud, I'm only telling you this because you're my best friend, and I care about you," the bartender continued.

The swordsman felt his cheeks getting warm. He didn't want Tifa to see that his cheeks were red. He thought if he looked down at the carpet floor, maybe she wouldn't see his face.

"I know," he later said. "Thanks…."

"What are you looking at?" Tifa chuckled. "I'm over here."

The blonde tried to hold his smile back, but his lips were just too strong. He turned around and looked at Tifa.

"Were you blushing?" the brunette asked, smiling.

"No," Cloud rubbed the back of his neck.

"Admit it. That's why you were looking the other way."

"Tifa, I was not blushing," the blonde said, trying not to laugh.

"Okay," Tifa said. "If you say so. Hey, we should do something."

"Like what?"

"We should go out, enjoy this beautiful weather or something."

"Okay," Cloud smiled.

**A/N:** How did you like that? As for Cid, I can't tell you if he's going to improve or not. You just have to wait and see. The part where I mentioned 'Edge General Hospital', I made that up, just so you know. Chapter four is slowly approaching, so get ready. Review, please and thanks for reading! XD


	4. Getting Close

**A/N:** I would like to give thanks to the newest reviewers, Hegodart and vx-Luna-xv. Also, I would love to give a HUGE thank you to my favorite reviewer, punkiemonkie. I don't know what I would have done if it wasn't for you!!! XD

**Getting Close**

Cloud really thought it was a good idea to spend the rest of the day enjoying the great outdoors. However, Cid was still in his thoughts, along with the questions that needed to be answered. He thought that maybe the reason Tifa came up with this idea was because it would probably help him ease his mind.

Tifa slipped on a pair of sneakers and brushed her hair. Her long locks didn't really needed to be brushed, but she figured that it would be nice to do so, anyway.

"Are you ready?" she asked Cloud, who was in the living room.

"Yeah," Cloud replied. "Where are we going?"

"There's a park near a huge lake that's not too far from here," Tifa explained.

"Okay. Let's go."

They both went out the back door that led to the garage. Cloud pushed a button that was on the wall to open the garage door. The bartender's heart began to race. She was anxious to ride on the motorcycle with Cloud, running free like the wind. The blonde climbed on the Fenrir first, then Tifa.

"You're ready?" he asked, putting on his goggles.

"Mm-hmm," Tifa said. She wrapped her arms tightly around the swordsman's waist.

Mixed emotions started to flow through her mind as she felt his warm body against hers. Cloud started the ignition. The loud engine caused Tifa's eardrums to throb. It sounded like they were inside a long tunnel. Cloud pushed the kickstand up with his foot and took off.

The brunette closed her eyes, feeling the wind touching her skin. She kind of wished that she had a pair of goggles or shades, at least so she could definitely enjoyed the view. Tifa slightly opened her eyes to see where they were. There were a few buildings, houses and the rest were nothing but grassy fields and a few trees. She later felt the vibration of the motorcycle slowing down and coming to a stop.

"Is this the place you were talking about?" Cloud asked.

Tifa opened up her eyes and there it was. The lake was so huge that no words could describe, and it looked like it could go on for miles and miles. Half the lake was surrounded by grassy fields with yellow flowers scattered everywhere.

Tifa could tell that Cloud was amazed to see the endless lake by the way he slowly took off his goggles. There was something in his blue eyes that made the bartender smile. His eyes sparkled like the sunlight reflecting on the surface of the lake.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she asked him.

"Yeah…," Cloud answered slowly.

The swordsman parked his Fenrir by one of the trees, close to the lake. The afternoon sky was filled with orange and pink streaks and some clouds slowly passing by. Tifa walked over to one of the trees and sat down. Cloud was still standing over by the lake, observing what the planet had to offer. The soft breeze really brought the lake into life, forming dozens of ripples as it set off to the east.

For the past ten minutes, the two adults sat together underneath the fully grown tree, reminiscing about their past.

"You know," said Tifa. "It feels like it was yesterday when we were just kids and now, here we are. All grown up."

"Yeah," Cloud agreed, resting his head on the trunk. He closed his eyes and a smile curved his lips.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

_Six year old Tifa Lockhart asked her mother if she could go outside and play. Mrs. Lockhart was preparing to make dinner while she told her daughter not to go too far from the house. Tifa gave her mother a bright smile as Mrs. Lockhart crouched down to her level and gave Tifa a kiss on her rosy cheek._

Little Tifa skipped her way out of the house in her light blue, summer dress. She stopped in the middle of the lawn and looked up at the sky and watched some birds soar above. Tifa imagined herself as a bird as she spread her arms out and began flapping them, running around in circles.

Something caught her eye when she came to a stop. She saw a little boy sitting on the front steps of the house to the left of Tifa's. The boy looked like he could be the same age as Tifa. The girl couldn't really see his face because of his spiky hair. He looked as though he was sad because he was resting his chin in the palm of his hand.

Tifa slowly walked her way across the lawn, towards the child. She was amazed how golden his spikes were. She wanted to touch them.

"What's wrong?" she asked the boy sweetly.

The boy slowly looked up, his ocean-blue eyes laid upon Tifa's. It seemed that he was crying, due to the puffiness of his eyes.

"No one wants to play with me," he answered, his voice sounded a bit hoarse.

"Why?" the curious girl asked.

The boy just shrugged his shoulders.

"What is your name?"

There was a short pause. "Cloud."

"My name is Tifa," said the brunette. "You can play with me."

"I can?" Cloud sniffled.

The little girl nodded. A small smile grew across the boy's face, and his eyes lit up. Tifa told Cloud to wait as she ran back to her house.

"Mommy! Mommy!" she shouted with excitement.

"What is it, sweetie?" Mrs. Lockhart said, setting down her oven mitten on the kitchen counter.

"There's a boy outside and he wants to play with me! Can I play with him, pleeeeeeeeease?"

The mother looked out the window to see if she could see the little boy. Cloud was standing by a tree with a tire swing, waiting patiently for Tifa to come back outside.

"Okay," Mrs. Lockhart finally said, turning away from the window. "I guess you can go ahead and play with him, but you two don't play rough, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy," Tifa replied, wrapping her small arms around her mother's thighs.

Mrs. Lockhart smiled as she watched her only child ran out the house. Ever since the day Tifa was born, she had always been protective of her. The mother had nothing against Cloud. It was just strange that this was her first time seeing the little boy, and she wondered why she had never seen him play outside like the other kids, but she was happy to know that Tifa was willing to be Cloud's friend.

The children took turns swinging on the tire swing. The sadness was no longer on Cloud's face. He didn't say much, but Tifa knew that he was happy to have her as a friend. Almost everyday, the first thing the little girl would do was to go next door and asked Cloud's mother if he could come out and play. Mrs. Strife was really nice, and sometimes she invited Tifa over to their house. Cloud had a feeling that he and Tifa would become the best of friends.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Cloud?"

"Hmm?" The blonde opened up his eyes and saw Tifa standing in front of him.

"Come on," she said. "It's getting late."

She held out her hand to help Cloud get back on his feet. They both took one last look at the wonderful sight, and they could see the orange sun beginning to set behind the mountains.

Cloud and Tifa almost forgot how quiet the house was with Marlene and Denzel gone. Usually, the kids always had the adults busy, playing games, making sure they did what they were suppose to do or just hanging out. The swordsman always liked it when it was quiet. He had nothing against the children for being there or anything like that; he enjoyed having them around.

"You're hungry?" the bartender asked.

"A little," Cloud replied, sitting down on the barstool.

Tifa looked into the fridge and pulled out a box of frozen pizza. After she placed the pizza in the oven, she walked over to the living room to see what was on TV. She put on a channel that showed nothing but movies, and headed back over to where Cloud was.

They later sat together on the couch, enjoying their food and a comedy movie. Cloud wasn't much of a movie person, but he was satisfied. Apparently, Tifa was so into movies. When the third movie came on, she got a little teary-eyed when they were watching a romantic movie. Cloud got up to get a box of tissue and gave it to Tifa.

"Thank you," she told him, taking the box.

They didn't realize what time it was. It was ten minutes to eleven, but they continued watching movies. The bartender tried so hard to stay awake because one of her favorite movies was on. As for Cloud, he was getting there, but he wasn't as sleepy as Tifa was. He tilted his head back on the couch, and stretched his legs out, with his feet underneath the table. He later felt something leaning against his left shoulder. He slowly turned his head and noticed Tifa was resting her head on it. He couldn't really tell if she was fast asleep or not. Tifa's soft and steady breathing indicated that she was.

Cloud could feel his heart beating rapidly. He and Tifa had never been this close before. Not like this. He could smell a fruity fragrance coming from the martial artist's hair. Cloud didn't really know if he should wake her up and tell her to go to bed, or just let her sleep peacefully on his shoulder. It pretty much felt like as if he had an angel sitting right next to him and protecting him with her presence.

The warm sensation he once had in the pit of his stomach was back. Only this time, it was much stronger. He really loved to have Tifa by his side, but the awkwardness was in the way.

A small moan escaped from the brunette's lips as she stirred her body towards Cloud. Unfortunately, his left arm was becoming numb because Tifa was lying against it. He carefully and slowly lifted his arm up, without trying to disturb the bartender's beauty sleep.

She let out a soft sigh, stirring her body once more. Unexpectedly, her left hand was placed on the side of Cloud's chest, right above his heart.

_I can't believe this is happening._ Cloud thought._ This moment feels like a dream…_

He carefully placed his left arm around Tifa's shoulders. His hand gently touched Tifa's bare shoulder, due to the fact that she was wearing a tank top. Cloud started to yawn and rested his head back on the couch, closing his eyes. The tension he had in his heart was finally starting to subside. Even though they were just friends, the swordsman wanted to cherish this moment, because he felt so special to have someone he cared sitting right next to him.

**A/N:** I had to do some quick changes to this, but I hope it turned out okay. The flashback you've read earlier, I guess you can say that Cloud and Tifa both shared that flashback, if you know what I'm trying to say. ;P I'll update soon! Don't forget to review, please! Thanks!! XD


	5. Stuck in the Middle

**A/N:** I truly appreciate the reviews I recently received. Thank you so much! I thought this chapter needed to be a little longer, so I hope you'll enjoy it! ;P

**Stuck in the Middle**  
The light from the morning sun pierced its way through the window, casting long shadows in the living room. The sunlight shined brightly upon the two sleeping adults. Cloud grunted and moved his hand up to his face, rubbing his eyes.

He didn't realize he was on the couch until he looked around and noticed the bartender was still asleep, with her head resting on his lap. Some of her long hair covered the side of her face. Cloud slightly moved it out of the way, revealing a beautiful woman. He could see her ivory skin looked so soft and smooth, that he wanted to caress Tifa's cheek with his fingertips.

"Tifa," he spoke delicately.

The bartender responded to Cloud's gentle voice as she rolled onto her back and slowly opened up her eyes. Her vision was a bit blurry. She blinked a few times, and she could now clearly see a familiar face, framed by golden spikes.

"Morning," Cloud said, his lips forming into a small grin.

"Good morning," Tifa yawned.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I did." Tifa sat up and stretched out her arms and legs. "Better than ever, surprisingly. What about you?"

"I have a cramp in my neck, but I'm fine."

The bartender smiled as she ran her fingers through her hair. They both agreed on that they should take a shower, regarding the fact that they still had on the same clothes from yesterday. She headed up the stairs to her room, while Cloud remained seated.

He placed his hand down on the cushion of the couch where Tifa was sitting. He thought about what happened last night, the way she placed her hand on his chest and sending him a strong sensation with that one, simple touch. Cloud wanted to tell her how he felt when she was snuggled up next to him, but he didn't believe he had the courage to do so. He knew Tifa for so long now; he thought it would be a great time to confess. He finally decided to get up and walked his way upstairs.

After the swordsman took a shower and dried himself off, he slipped on a black tank top with matching colored cargo pants and decided to go to his room to plan out his routes for deliveries later this week. His desk was covered with so many paperwork and receipts from his previous deliveries. He wasn't much of an organizer, but he somehow managed to straighten things out.

Cloud tucked one hand into his hair as he took one hard look at the map of Kalm he recently printed out. He carefully checked to see which route he would have to travel on first. Just from looking at one route to the next, it made his eyes sore a bit. He rubbed them gently and his gaze was now on a picture of two young people standing outside of Seventh Heaven.

He realized it was a picture of him, standing next to Tifa. The blonde didn't know when exactly the picture was taken, but his instincts told him it was on the same day he came home to surprise Tifa. The bartender definitely looked surprised but mostly happy, with that bright smile she always wore on her face. Cloud looked the same as usual. He couldn't really tell if he was smiling or not, being such a shy person when it came to taking pictures, but whether he was smiling or not, he knew he was happy.

The swordsman quickly turned his head when there was a knock outside his door.

"Come in," he spoke clearly.

The door slowly opened and the brunette poked her head inside.

"Hey, I've made you some breakfast," she told Cloud. "You want some?"

"Sure," the blonde smiled slightly.

He followed Tifa downstairs and into the kitchen. The smell of pancakes and bacon immediately filled Cloud's nostrils. He always loved the fresh smell of his favorite food in the morning. The bartender kindly told Cloud that he could sit down at the table while she was preparing the food for him and herself.

_Maybe this is the right time to tell her._ The swordsman thought.

He didn't understand why all of these strange feelings started to occur inside his mind and body. He thought and he thought, but the spiky-blonde could not think of a possible answer.

"What would you like to drink?" Tifa asked, approaching the table with two plates.

"Milk, please," Cloud replied.

Tifa smiled and nodded as she walked her way to the refrigerator. She came back later with a glass of milk, along with a glass of orange juice for herself and carefully set them down on the table.

"Thanks," the swordsman said quietly as he cut his pancake into pieces before taking a bite.

"You're welcome," Tifa smiled.

The wolf ring she had on her right, ring finger shined brightly as if Cloud just gave it to her. Just seeing her wear it, made him feel good inside.

"I see you still have the ring I gave you," he said after he swallowed his food.

"Oh, this?" Tifa held up her hand. "I wear it everyday. I love it."

She began to eat her breakfast and she picked up a novel that was lying next to her juice on the table and began reading it.

_Go on! Tell her how you feel._ Cloud's conscious told him. The blonde cleared his throat loudly, trying to ignore it.

"Cloud, what's wrong?" Tifa quickly glanced up from her book.

"N-nothing," he lied. "I just have….something stuck in my throat."

He picked up his glass and brought it up to his lips, but he only took a small sip. He didn't want Tifa to know he was lying. The martial artist gave him a small smile and resumed back to reading.

_C'mon, Cloud._ It was his conscious again._ Just look at her for a minute._

The swordsman slowly looked up at the brunette. She was completely glued to the romance novel. A gentle smile curved her lips as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Cloud thought his conscious wasn't going to give him a break unless he told Tifa what was on his mind. Maybe if he continued to eat his breakfast, he'll probably forget, but then something was crawling on his foot. He placed his fork down and looked under the table. Tifa's barefoot was rubbing gently against his. He looked at the bartender to see if she knew what she was doing, but instead, her eyes were stuck on the pages of the novel, nibbling on her bottom lip.

"Uh….Tifa?" Cloud said.

"Hm?" the brunette didn't noticed him.

"Your foot is….."

Tifa lifted her head up, watching Cloud pointing his finger down at the floor. She looked underneath the table and realized what he was trying to tell her.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she gasped, moving her left foot away from the swordsman's. "This book is really getting to me. I'm so sorry, Cloud. That wasn't like me at all. Um…..Are you done eating?"

"Yeah," Cloud ran his fingers through his hair.

Tifa was about to pick up the spiky-blonde's plate, but her hand ended up touching his hand when he picked up the plate so she wouldn't have to do it.

"I'm sorry," they both apologized simultaneously.

"I'll…..just go upstairs," Cloud said nervously.

"Okay," she said, feeling a little awkward.

Cloud pushed himself away from the table and headed upstairs. He walked down the hallway and went to the bathroom. He leaned over the sink and stared at his own reflection.

"C'mon, Cloud," he mumbled to himself. "You can do this."

He took a deep breath and went back downstairs. Tifa was washing dishes, so Cloud knew it was the perfect time to tell her.

"Tifa," he sounded more serious than he thought. "I need to tell you something."

But before the bartender could respond, someone knocked on the door.

_Not again._ Cloud thought.

"Hold that thought, okay?" Tifa told him.

She dried her hands with the dish towel and walked over to the door.

"Good morning, Reeve." From the moment she opened the door, the expression on Reeve's face instantly told her something wasn't good.

"Good morning," Reeve slightly nodded his head. "May I come in?"

The bartender allowed the man to come in and told him to sit down in the living room.

"What's going on?" Cloud later walked in.

"I hate to be the one to give out the bad news," the commissioner began, sitting down in the armchair. "As for the evidence, someone secretly placed a bomb near the construction site. We've lost at least ten members of WRO; others are still missing."

"What about Cid?" Cloud asked, sitting down on the couch, just a few inches from Tifa.

Reeve exhaled sharply. "And Cid…Shera called me and explained to me that the doctors said Cid had slipped into a coma around eleven o' clock last night."

"How did this happened?" the swordsman frowned slightly.

"One of the doctors examined Cid's head and the doctor believed he had probably gotten hit in the head by one of the debris that was flying around right after the explosion."

The blonde slowly shook his head.

"And…," the leader of WRO continued, finding it very difficult to explain more. "The doctor thinks there's a chance that Cid could die."

The bartender raised her hand up to her mouth, in total shock. Cloud stared blankly at Reeve. He could not believe what he had just heard. It was like living in a nightmare that could go on forever.

"I'm so sorry that you two had to hear this," Reeve said. "We're doing all we can for Cid."

Tifa slightly nodded, while the swordsman remained silent.

"Try to have a good day," Reeve told them. He got up and left.

There was complete silence. Cloud couldn't move a single muscle after what he just heard about his friend. Just having the thought about Cid in a coma made the swordsman clench his jaws.

"Cloud?" Tifa said, placing her hand on the blonde's arm. "Are you okay?"

Cloud turned his head towards Tifa, barely giving her a smile. He had a deep feeling that the bartender knew he wasn't okay. How can you be okay when you hear the news of a loved one in a tragic accident?

As Cloud studied the bartender's deep, brown eyes, he could see a little bit of fear, but he knew she wasn't going to let that get to her. She was too strong for that. Tifa slowly smiled at him.

Meanwhile at the hospital, Shera was sitting in the chair next to the hospital bed, holding her husband's hand. This wasn't how she wanted to see Cid. He had a couple of stitches on the left side of his forehead and another one merely above his right eyebrow. His right arm was in a cast, including his left leg.

Shera's tears came rushing down like a waterfall, as she sobbed onto Cid's shoulder. Not being able to hear his voice, the heart monitor beeping softly was the only thing that could comfort Mrs. Highwind.

"Cid," she whispered into his shirt. "You can't die. You just can't."

Resting her head on his shoulder, Shera slightly tilted her head and looked at Cid's wedding band on his ring finger, and then she looked at her silver ring. A small grin appeared on the woman's face as she remembered the day she married the pilot.

"Do you remember the day we got married?" she spoke softly to him, although she knew he couldn't hear her. "It was so wonderful. I want to relive that moment, Cid….Someday."

She lifted her head up so she could see her husband's face. Even though he was in a coma, it looked like he was in a deep and peaceful somber. Shera carefully leaned over and gave Cid a kiss on the cheek.

"I love you, Cid."

Back at Seventh Heaven, Tifa called Barret and informed him the news about Cid. She asked the leader of Avalanche to promise her that he would not tell the kids about it. He was extremely angry but he agreed to keep his promise.

After that, Tifa found Cloud in his room, looking out the window.

"I told Barret about the news," the bartender told him. "He wasn't happy about it at all."

"How are the kids?" Cloud slightly turned around.

"They're doing fine," Tifa answered, sitting down on the swordsman's bed. "I really hope Shera is doing okay with this. Cid doesn't deserve this….No one does."

There was a moment of silence.

"Oh, Cloud," Tifa glanced up quickly. "You said you needed to tell me something."

Cloud slowly turned all the way around to face the brunette. He kind of hoped she had forgotten what he needed to tell her. With one hand in his pocket, he started clenching it. The blonde desperately needed to tell her, but why was he hesitating now?"

"Cloud?" Tifa studied the warrior.

"Yeah?"

"What did you needed to tell me?"

"It's nothing….," Cloud said quietly. "I'm fine."

Tifa frowned slightly. "Are you sure? Something's on your mind, isn't it?"

"It's nothing, really." Cloud gave Tifa a weary smile when she walked up to him.

The Avalanche fighter could really tell something was on the blonde's mind. His bright, blue eyes explained it all. She was curious to know what was he thinking, but at the same time, she couldn't pressure Cloud into doing something he was uncomfortable with.

"Well, I'm pretty sure you need some time to yourself," Tifa said. "But you know, if you need to tell me something, you can always tell me, okay, Cloud? I'm here for you."

Cloud nodded and Tifa smiled as she walked out, closing the door behind her. He sat on the bed, burying his face in his hands. He felt so bad for not telling Tifa the truth. He thought he didn't deserve to have the bartender as his best friend. Maybe that was one of the reasons the swordsman hesitated to tell Tifa how he felt about her; he was afraid the truth would ruin their friendship. That wasn't all. Ever since the terrible news about Cid was revealed, Cloud knew it wasn't the right time to tell the bartender about his feelings; he felt as though it was worthless to tell her. The ex-Soldier didn't know which direction to go to. He was so caught up between two different things.

**A/N:** There's more to this story, so hold on! Remember, reviews are always welcomed. ;P


	6. Taking Chances

**A/N: **Sorry for the delay. Writer's block is such a pain in the ass! Anyway, chapter six is finally here. This chapter was inspired by one of my favorite songs, "Look After You" by The Fray.

**Big Thanks to: Life'sAbitchAndThenYouDie, V-Dart25, Hegodart, vx-Luna-xv, xdevilsxangelx, Dragon Reverb, Kitsune13 and Punkiemonkie.**

I also like to give thanks to the people who added my story to their favorites. That means a lot to me. Okay, enough rambling on. Let's get on with the story. Hope you'll like/love it!  


**Taking Chances**

He could hardly sleep that night. His mind was stuck on one thing and one thing only.

Tifa.

How could he had let that one chance slip from his hands? He mentally slapped himself for not telling the bartender what he had on his mind. He felt less like a man and more like a little boy. Seeing Tifa with another man was the _very_ last thing he ever wanted to happen in his life. So what could he do?

Cloud groaned in frustration as he got up from his bed. He reached down to pick up his pants off the floor and slipped them on. He thought that maybe if he went outside to get some fresh air, maybe it would help him clear his mind, despite the fact that it was a little after midnight.

He looked over to his left, where Tifa's room was. Her door was half way closed, so he tried his best to stay quiet as much as possible. The floorboards creaked beneath his feet with every step he took. If he kept this up, he would surely wake up Tifa.

Finally reaching the stairs, Cloud smoothly jogged his way down, entering the moonlit bar. He stopped in the middle of the room because he felt a small breeze touching his bare arms. Was the door open? He wondered. And it was. Cloud couldn't recall if he was the last person in the bar or Tifa. He approached the door and immediately his eyes were on someone with long, dark hair, sitting on the step.

"Tifa?" he said.

Tifa looked over her shoulder and smiled at him.

"Hey," she said, leaving room for the swordsman to sit. "I guess you couldn't sleep either, huh?"

"I guess not," Cloud sat down with his knees up, his arms resting on them.

"Something told me there was going to be a full moon out tonight. It's so beautiful."

Indeed it was beautiful. It was like a giant pearl watching over the city, protecting the citizens with its light. Deep down, the swordsman thought Tifa was more beautiful than the moon itself. He loved the way the moonlight reflected in her eyes, the way the breeze blew her soft hair…Cloud didn't believe he had ever seen a woman who was this beautiful before. He wanted to touch her, hold her and maybe even kiss her. Mentally, he thought it was silly of him to think such things like that. He took his gaze back on the moon and the tiny stars that were surrounding it, all winking at him.

"This brings back a lot of memories," the bartender spoke. "I remember when we used to think that we could just fly up towards the sky and touch the moon. I always thought the moon was close enough to just grab it with our hands. Mmm. I still think we can do that now. It's crazy, isn't it?"

"No," Cloud slowly shook his head. "Not at all."

There was a pause.

With more thoughts of Tifa penetrating his mind, he felt like he was being urged to go ahead and tell the brunette his feelings, but he didn't know how. He knew right now was the perfect time to tell Tifa, since it was just the two of them, and Denzel and Marlene were still with Barret. But will there be anymore interruptions?

Cloud gently bit his bottom lip, thinking this through. Yes, he had to tell her, but then again, how would Tifa react to this? Would she accept him as more than a friend, and if her answer was no, Cloud couldn't blame her. After all of those times when he left her and the kids behind, making them think that he never had time to be with them.

He was quite sure she had forgiven him for the mistakes he had made, but still, he had huge doubts. Butterflies began to flutter around in his stomach. He was aware that Tifa had her eyes directly on him. He had a feeling she knew he had something on his mind.

"Cloud?" she spoke softly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Cloud slightly nodded.

Tifa smiled warmly and got up. She did a little stretching before she went back inside the house. This was the swordsman's second chance to reveal the moment of truth. He got back up on his feet and followed the bartender.

"Tifa," he said. Tifa was just about to head up the stairs when she turned around.

"Yes, Cloud?" she approached the blonde.

He took a deep breath, keeping his eyes focused on hers. Every time he saw those brown eyes, he found himself lost in them. He couldn't look away from them for one second. He had to admit it. He was surprised at himself for managing to keep his gaze on Tifa for so long now.

"There's something I've been meaning to tell you," he explained slowly. "But I just…don't know how to put this in words."

"What is it?" Tifa's eyes were filled with concern and curiosity.

It was hard to concentrate on the words Cloud needed to say, because his heart was pounding aggressively against his ribs, and the butterflies were getting stronger and stronger. He couldn't turn back, not now. Now that he had Tifa's full attention.

"I know I haven't been around during the times when you and the kids needed me. It's just…I had a lot on my mind, and---"

Cloud swallowed and there was another pause. Tifa's eyes widened, waiting patiently for the blonde to explain it all.

"I…," he started, rubbing the back of his neck, and his eyes drifted nervously all over the place and back at the brunette. "I-I…can't stop thinking about you, Tifa. You're the reason why I couldn't sleep tonight. I mean…there were other nights when I couldn't."

Tifa remained silent. She could not believe those words actually came out of his mouth. She felt like she was living in a dream.

"I should be grateful that you're still by my side," Cloud continued quietly. "Even though I had left you behind countless of times."

It was hard to read the bartender's mind, but there was so much more he needed to say.

"I mean, if you just want us to be friends, I understand. I can't blame you…"

Cloud looked deeply into Tifa's eyes. He waited for a response, but apparently, no words managed to escape from the martial artist's mouth.

_I guess it's a no._ Cloud thought sadly.

"Well, uh," he tried to figure out something else to say. "I guess this is goodnight, then."

He started walking towards the stairs. He did the best that he could, but he guessed it wasn't good enough for Tifa. What was he going to do now? He didn't know.

"Cloud," Tifa finally spoke up. The swordsman immediately turned around.

"Yeah?"

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Cloud didn't respond.

"Looks like we have a lot of catching up to do," Tifa smiled, and so did Cloud.

They both walked towards each other, their eyes met. Tifa stepped a little closer to him, and without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head above his chest. She closed her eyes as she breathed in Cloud's sweet scent.

_I never thought this moment would come._ She thought. _ It feels so good to have him in my arms at last._

"I'm proud of you, Cloud," she spoke softly.

Cloud looked down at the brunette and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. She felt so warm and gentle against his body. He felt like he could just stand here and hold her forever. But then, he realized his T-shirt was getting wet. Was Tifa crying?

"Tifa?" Cloud said.

"Hm?" she didn't look at him.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just…Never mind."

Cloud gently pushed Tifa away so he could look at her. He placed a finger beneath her chin and lift her head up. Some tears had already ran down her cheeks. Her eyes were closed shut. She couldn't stand for anyone to see her cry, especially in front of the people she loved.

"Tifa, what's wrong?" the blonde said gently, wiping away the tears with his thumb.

The brunette sniffled. "Why couldn't you just tell me? And you knew it was on your mind." She nearly raised her voice. She didn't try to. She just wished that Cloud could just trust her more.

"I know," Cloud looked away. "I guess I was afraid of your reaction."

"Cloud," the bartender placed a hand on the swordsman's cheek, tilting his head towards her. "I love you. I've always loved you." She chuckled quietly. "I even had a crush on you when we were little kids."

Cloud's cheeks turned red. "You did?"

"Yeah. And I still do."

The swordsman studied Tifa's eyes thoroughly. He had no idea he was her crush. All this time, he thought the bartender had no deep feelings for him.

"But, Tifa…," he began. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

Tifa bit her bottom lip.

"There were times when I wanted to, but I was afraid myself. You had me thinking that you weren't interested in me because you were gone all the time. Or you just didn't want to be my friend anymore."

Guilt started to take over inside of Cloud's heart. He felt so wrong for leaving Tifa when she needed him. He was always afraid of putting so much pain in her heart, and she had enough of that.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"Why?" the brunette asked.

"For hurting you and not being by your side."

Tifa smiled and wrapped her arms around him even tighter. "I don't want you to feel guilty. I still forgive you. And the only thing that matters is that you're here now. Come on. We should get some sleep."

They let go of each other and went upstairs. When they came across the children's bedroom, they stopped.

"Should we tell the kids about this when they come back?" Cloud asked with a small grin.

"I think we should let them find out the news themselves," Tifa replied. "After all, they are fast learners."

Cloud nodded. It would probably put huge smiles on their faces once they find out. Cloud always loved to see the kids smile.

"What about the others?" he said, as they approached his room next.

"Oh, yeah," Tifa faced Cloud. "Hm…They should find out for themselves as well."

"Yeah."

There was a moment of silence between the two. They gazed into each other's eyes once more. Even though the hallway was somewhat dark, the swordsman could see the bartender's eyes were sparkling with light. Those eyes told him she was happy now, and he was too.

"I'll see you in the morning, okay?" Tifa spoke in a sweet and soft voice.

"Okay," the swordsman replied.

He watched her heading off towards her room. His stomach nearly did a double somersault by the way Tifa looked over her shoulder, and she was smiling at him.

"Goodnight, Cloud," she said.

"G-Goodnight," the blonde almost lost his words.

He entered his room, closing the door and leaned back against it. He thought about what happened earlier tonight. Surely, it was an awkward moment for him, but it was well worth it.

_I did it._ He thought to himself.

He couldn't help but to smile. Throughout their childhood, Cloud had the slightest idea that Tifa loved him. Even as they were growing up and the times when he wasn't there with her, she still loved him. If he had known from the start, he would probably been able to reveal his feelings without hesitation. The swordsman had to give himself some credit for finally finding the courage to stand up in front of Tifa and take responsibilities like a real man. And he was a real man. But now, he had another problem…He definitely couldn't sleep now!

**To Be Continued…**

**A/N:** Whew!! (wipes off sweat) Writer's block really had a huge affect on me. I thought I would never be able to complete this chapter. I thought it should be time for Cloud to step up in front of Tifa and reveal his deep feelings. I wanted to warn you guys that there was going to be some fluff right before the story, but I was afraid I was going to spoil the surprise. I don't know when chapter seven will be out, but you'll know as soon as possible. Alright, you guys know what to do. ;P


	7. A Walk Down Memory Lane

**A/N:** I don't know if it's too late to apologize for making a mistake on Cloud's age in chapter one. I've learned that he was actually twenty-three years old during the events of Advent Children. So, don't pay any attention to that mistake. Since, this story runs right after the events of the movie, Cloud is twenty-three, NOT twenty-one. I hope I didn't confuse you guys. I thought it was important to bring this up.

*I like to give thanks to my newest reviewer, goatgod.*  
**  
P.S.** How could I forget? I'm pretty sure you guys have already noticed that I changed my name. So, don't worry. I'm the same person. :D

**WARNING: **This chapter contains some fluff and a little bit of angst. So, if you don't like either of these things, don't read this chapter.

**A Walk Down Memory Lane**

Cloud woke up to the sound of his alarm clock. He reached his hand out from under the covers and pushed the snooze button. His eyes were partly closed as he tried to see what time it was. The clock said 7:05. He usually got up around that time, but this morning, he wanted to stay in bed because he barely had any sleep last night. The swordsman rolled on to his back with his hands tucked underneath his head, staring up at the ceiling. He thought about that very special bond he and Tifa created just recently.

It was still hard to believe that he actually stood up and told Tifa how he really felt about her. There was still warmth inside his body and heart. He now realized why he kept getting those sensations every time he thought about the bartender or whenever he was around her. He was in love, and he liked the sound of that. He just hoped he wasn't rushing things.

Cloud decided to get out of bed and he was about to go downstairs when he heard Tifa call his name from her room. He walked in, but she was nowhere in sight.

"Where are you?" Cloud said.

"I'm in the bathroom," the blonde heard Tifa's voice.

The swordsman approached the door and slowly pushed it open. He nearly jumped backwards when he noticed the bartender was wearing nothing but a towel that was wrapped around her body, standing on the lid of the toilet.

"There's a spider in here," she told him.

A gentle smile tugged the corners of Cloud's mouth.

"You're afraid of a spider?" he chuckled quietly.

"Unfortunately, I am," Tifa smiled weakly.

"Where is it?"

The bartender pointed her finger at the floor, and Cloud grabbed some tissue and got on his knees.

"I saw it heading towards the back of the toilet," Tifa added.

And there it was. The black creature was sitting still in the corner. The swordsman stretched his arm out and smashed the small spider with the tissue.

"Did you get it?" Tifa asked, holding onto her towel.

"Yeah, I got it," Cloud stood up. "You want to see it?"

"No!" the brunette jumped off the toilet.

"But it's dead," Cloud tried not to laugh.

He lifted the lid up and dropped the tissue into the toilet bowl and flushed it.

"Thanks," Tifa said, embarrassed. "I know it was kind of awkward for you to see me like this."

"Oh…well, uh," the blonde rubbed the back of his neck. "I wasn't really paying any attention to that."

"Come on, Cloud. I saw the way you looked when you opened the door."

The swordsman was speechless. He just stood there, his cheeks slowly turning red. His eyes were locked on Tifa's damp hair hanging over her bare shoulders, and the way she had the towel hugging her body. Cloud felt a sweat or two running down his temple.

_I have to get out of here._ He thought.

"Um…I'm going to go downstairs," he later said.

"Okay. I'll be out in a few minutes and make you some breakfast," Tifa told him.

Cloud sat at the kitchen table, while Tifa was getting out of the shower. But why? Why was it impossible for him to stop himself from having these images of the bartender wearing a towel? That was his first time seeing her like that. Cloud was pretty sure that Tifa now knew how he felt when she nearly saw him in the nude while standing behind the door and asking her for some shampoo.

Awkward.

Surely, the blonde thought it was sort of funny. It was like déjà vu, in a way. Was this suppose to happen? He couldn't help but to wonder.

Tifa later came downstairs, wearing a small, white T-shirt with a pair of denim shorts. Even though her hair was still a little wet, she decided to wear it down as usual. Cloud wanted to give her a complement, but instead, he kept his mouth shut.

"I have some waffles if you want some," Tifa said.

"Aren't the waffles for the kids?" the swordsman asked.

"Don't worry," Tifa said. "Marlene and Denzel said we could eat them. I have to go to the store to buy more, anyway."

Cloud decided to take a quick shower while the bartender was making breakfast. He later changed clothes and went back downstairs. Tifa was just now finished with cooking the food when he sat down at the table.

"So," the bartender began, sitting down with the food. "Where do you have to go to make your deliveries for today?"

"First, I have to go to Kalm," Cloud explained. "Then, I have to go to Nibelheim."

"Nibelheim?" Tifa asked before taking a sip of her coffee. "It's been a long time since we've been there."

"I know," Cloud said quietly.

They both became quiet. The brunette looked down at her coffee, watching the creamy swirls slowly swimming around in the mug.

Memories of their hometown started to play in both of the adults' minds, from the day they became friends, all the way up to the time when the small town was engulfed by flames, which were caused by Sephiroth. Cloud always had clear visions of him. Even if the visions lasted for one second made the ex-Soldier tick with anger. No matter how hard he tried, he could not stop thinking about all of those times when his silver haired enemy made his life a living hell. Because of Sephiroth, Cloud's mother, Aerith, and Zack were no longer in his life.

The swordsman remembered the time when Tifa was on the verge of dying, due to Sephiroth's brutal attacks. If Cloud wasn't there to save her, there was no doubt that he would blame himself for the rest of his life. He kind of wished he didn't have any deliveries to make in Nibelheim. It would bring too many memories.

As for the martial artist, memories of her father played a big role in her life as well. She thought she could never forgive Sephiroth for taking her father away, and how he tried to destroy anything and anyone that stood in his way.

Tifa shook those thoughts away and slowly looked up at Cloud, who was sitting on the opposite side of the table. She could see anger in his piercing blue eyes as he stared off into space. She also realized his left hand was clenched into a fist, while holding a fork with his right one.

"Cloud?" Tifa spoke, her voice nearly shaking.

Apparently, he didn't respond. So, she reached out her hand and placed it on Cloud's and stroked it gently with her thumb.

"Cloud, are you okay?"

The spiky-blonde blinked a couple of times, and his eyes laid upon Tifa's hand on his. Her skin felt so soft against his. He looked up at the bartender and smiled.

"I'll be fine," he assured her.

After breakfast, Cloud brought his empty plate to the sink and headed upstairs. He brushed his teeth and put on his boots. Dozens of thoughts swirled around in his head like a whirlwind. He thought he would never have to go back to Nibelheim. It wasn't bad, it was just so many things happened while he was there. People treated him like he was an outsider, including Tifa's so-called friends. The swordsman mumbled to himself, thinking about how cruel they treated him and they knew he didn't do a damn thing to deserve any of it.

"Cloud?" the angel-like voice startled him.

He quickly turned around and saw Tifa standing in the doorway.

"Yeah?" he said, his face lighten up.

"You're okay?"

The blonde nodded.

"I feel like I should apologize," Tifa approached him.

"Why?" the swordsman slightly frowned.

"You know, for bringing up Nibelheim. I should've known it was going to cause you to have endless memories. The bad ones, I mean."

"It's not your fault," Cloud spoke softly.

Tifa smiled and giggled quietly. "You know what's funny?"

"What?"

The bartender hesitated for a moment. Her mahogany eyes locked onto his blue ones.

"Never mind," she shook her head.

Cloud immediately knew something was bothering her. He could tell by the expression on her face.

"What is it?" he asked.

Tifa looked away for a second and sighed. "I just wish…I wish you didn't have to leave today." She became really quiet when she reached the end of her statement. She hoped Cloud didn't understand what she said.

"You know something, Tifa?" he said. "So do I."

The bartender's eyes slowly drifted up to Cloud's. Her eyes widened and lit up. If she really wanted Cloud to stay, all Tifa had to do was ask him to, but she figured that was going to be impossible. She approached him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Her heart was crying out to his. The brunette cursed the fact that it felt so bad to let go of the person she loved, especially since Cloud told her his feelings. Tifa lifted her head up so she could see the blonde's handsome face. She reached her hand up towards his face, her palm resting on his left cheek. Her fingers gently pushed one of his spikes out of the way and saw a scar that was right above his eyebrow.

"Cloud," Tifa said slowly. "How did you get this scar?"

The swordsman nearly forgot that he had that scar, which happened during the Geostigma Crisis.

"I was shot by one of Sephiroth's remnants," he replied.

"No…" the martial artist traced the scar with her fingertips. She then rested her head on the warrior's shoulder.

"I want to go to Nibelheim," she later said. "If that's okay."

Cloud hesitated and then said, "Okay. We'll go Saturday."

Something deep down told him that he should stay with Tifa, but he couldn't. He had very important deliveries to make, and he had to do this so he could support not only himself, but Tifa and the kids, too.

"I think it's time for me to go," Cloud spoke quietly.

Tifa closed her eyes. "Okay."

She hated to see him go, and Cloud hated to leave her behind with those good-for-nothing men she always served, but that was just part of her job, and he knew that she could take care of herself.

"Be careful, okay?" Tifa tilted her head up.

"I will," Cloud nodded.

XOXOXOXOX

Saturday arrived sooner than expected. The day started off with strong thunderstorms. But later that afternoon, the sunlight made its way through the dark clouds as the storm slowly came to a stop. Tifa stood by the window in the living room when Cloud walked in.

"Looks like the storm has calm down a bit," she told him, looking over her shoulder. "There won't be another storm until later tonight."

"Let's go to Nibelheim now," said Cloud.

It was quite a long ride as they traveled through the city. Cloud began to pick up speed on the Fenrir once they left Edge. Tifa realized they were getting closer to the town after she saw a couple of mountains and a few houses that were rebuilt just recently.

When they finally arrived in Nibelheim, Cloud decided to drive his way to the neighborhood where he and Tifa once grew up. They both climbed off of the motorcycle and started strolling around.

The first thing the ex-Soldier saw was a small house that was quite familiar to him. It was slightly different from the way it used to look when he was younger. Right next to it was Tifa's. The people who were working on the houses weren't quite finished with them, but Cloud was certain that this was the exact spot where he and Tifa used to live.

Tifa looked over to her right and saw the swordsman staring at the ground with his hands in his pockets. The expression he had on his face placed a burden in her heart. Cloud always had that same blank expression on his face, but this time, Tifa could see that it was beginning to make her heart sink to the bottom of her stomach.

"Cloud, what is going through your mind right now?" she slowly approached the warrior.

"My mother…"He later answered after a short pause.

"You miss her, don't you?"

"Yeah…"

The bartender smiled gently as she looked up at the clear, blue sky. "I miss my mother, too."

Cloud exhaled softly. "I wonder if my mother ever misses me."

Tifa quickly took her gaze from the sky and looked at the swordsman.

"Of course she misses you, Cloud. She loved you and she still does."

Cloud nibbled on his bottom lip. He felt stupid for thinking his mother didn't miss him. He had clear visions of her. He thought about her sweet smile, and the way she used to sing him lullabies whenever he had trouble sleeping when he was just a small child. The best memory he had ever had was when he was only five years old.

XOXOXOXOX__

Frequent flashes of lightning struck across the dark sky, accompanied by a huge rumble of thunder. The rain fell down like a waterfall. It was easy for some townspeople to sleep through the storm, but as for Cloud, it was like living in a nightmare.

He shivered uncontrollably beneath the covers. Cloud never really liked thunderstorms, but he loved to stand outside in the rain, only if it was just sprinkling. His mother always told him that he could get sick from doing that.

The blonde moved the covers just two inches below his big, blue eyes to get a peek at his window. A flash of lightning lit up his bedroom just then, causing the little boy to quickly pull the covers back up. Later, thunder crashed and Cloud jumped out of bed and dashed right out of his room, heading for his mother's room.

He stood by the doorway to see if his mother was sleeping. The covers were perfectly still, but he had to wake her up. Cloud tip-toed his way towards the bed. Mrs. Strife's back was facing him. So he tapped her on the shoulder with his small finger.

"Mom?" he said in a somewhat whisper. Mrs. Strife turned over onto her other side to face her son and her lips curved into a smile when she saw him.

"I can't sleep," Cloud said. "Can…Can I sleep with you?"

His mother chuckled softly and said, "Of course you can."

The blue eyed child smiled brightly. Mrs. Strife moved over to let Cloud climb into the bed. Thunder started to rumble again, and immediately, Cloud wrapped his arms around his mother.

"I don't like the thunder," he said.

"It's okay, sweetie," Mrs. Strife told him. "Thunder can't hurt you."

The boy snuggled closer to his mom, and she gave him enough covers so he could be comfortable. They both listened to the rain as it pounded hard against the roof.

"Mom?" the child spoke again.

"Hm?"

"Are you afraid of thunder?"

"I used to be when I was your age," Mrs. Strife explained. "My mother always told me to think about things that make me happy, and sometimes listening to the rain helped me fall asleep."

"What makes you happy, Mom?"

"Hm…There are a lot of things that make me happy. Like, seeing you smile, your laugh and knowing that you will always be my sweetheart." Mrs. Strife tapped Cloud on the nose.

"I love you, Mom," Cloud said after he chuckled.

"I love you, too, Cloud." She placed a kiss on her son's forehead.

XOXOXOXO

"I wish I was there to save her," the adult Cloud later said as he watched the clouds rolling by.

"It's not your fault that she died," Tifa, said, pushing her bangs out of the way as the wind blew.

"Then how come I feel like it is?"

Tifa noticed that there was something different about his voice. There was a little bit of anger in it. He looked as though he wanted to release it. He clenched his hands into fists. The brunette tried to figure out what she could say or do to make the ex-Soldier feel better.

"I used to think that it was my fault that my father was killed," she said, looking back on that dreadful day. "But we both know that it was Sephiroth's fault."

Cloud's heart nearly stopped after Tifa mentioned the one winged angel. She stepped in front of him and took a hold of his hands.

"Cloud," she said. "Look at me."

His eyes slowly shifted from the ground to hers. He could almost see his own reflection in them.

"You did nothing wrong," Tifa said very clearly. "Sephiroth paid the price when you defeated him. And I'm sure your mother is proud of you for that. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks," Cloud mumbled.

Tifa smiled at him and then something caught her eye. She looked over to her left and noticed a huge tree stump. "Hey, Cloud. Do you see that tree stump?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"It looks familiar." The bartender let go of the swordsman's hands and walked towards the stump.

The stump was pretty old and rotten. The martial artist looked at the house that the stump was sitting right in front of.

"Cloud," she said excitedly. "This was the tree that had a tire swing. Look."

Cloud approached her and the old stump. "Are you sure?"

"Yes! I'm positive. This was the only tree that was on this side of the neighborhood."

The blonde looked at the stump carefully and then at the house. "You're right."

"We used to swing on the tire swing all the time!" Tifa beamed.

"That's when we became friends, right?"

"Yeah."

The couple smiled with gleam in their eyes. Cloud didn't understand why, but something made him want to hold Tifa's hand as they cherish the day their friendship started to grow. But something else started to grow, somewhere in his heart. Maybe it was love or happiness. Or even both.

"I should thank you for taking up your time so we could be here, even if it was hard for you to bear the hurtful memories," Tifa said.

"It's no problem. I should be the one to thank you."

"Why?"

Cloud held both of the bartender's hands. "You took the time to show me that I am a better person. I wish there was a way I can repay you."

"I'm pretty sure there is a way," Tifa smiled.

Cloud felt her hands squeezing his just a little bit. His pulse began to race, as Tifa looked deeper into his eyes. She tilted her head towards his face. Cloud's heart went crazy right after he felt her warm breath brushing across his lips. Tifa closed her eyes and then----

They nearly jumped when the swordsman's cell phone started ringing. He reached his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone. It was Shera.

"Hello?" Cloud answered. "Okay. Alright, we're coming."

"Who was it?" Tifa asked.

"That was Shera," Cloud replied. "She didn't say what was going on, but she wants us to meet her at the hospital.

**To Be Continued…**


	8. The Connection

I'm going to send FFVII plushies to: Kisdota-The Freak Gamer, punkiemonkie, StrifeVsTribal, Melody Elric, vx-Luna-xv, free the sky's Clouds, Dragon Reverb, and Kairi-loves-Sushi

**A/N:** I am so sorry for the long wait. I have been slacking off lately because I was running out of ideas, but strangely I had tons of ideas for my future story. I wanted to get started on it but I couldn't because I felt guilty for neglecting my current story, and I couldn't keep you fellow readers/writers waiting any longer.

This chapter contains some heated moments (I don't like to use the word "Fluff" that much. It's just not that type of word I'm used to using when it comes to romance.). I hope I didn't go overboard with the scenery, but I'm sure you'll like it. So, you have been warned. ;P

**The Connection**

Cloud and Tifa promptly got back on the Fenrir and left town. What could have been the possible news that Shera couldn't tell Cloud over the phone? Was Cid going to be okay? Or did his condition worsen? It was fractious for the swordsman to focus only on the positive side as the questions permeated his mind. He felt the grip of Tifa's arms getting tighter around his waist. He slightly looked over his shoulder to get a glance at her. All he could see was most of her locks flapping rapidly in the wind. He assumed that she only tighten her grip because the acceleration of the motorcycle increased after he got onto the freeway, not because she was afraid of the possible devastating news regarding Cid.

Once they arrived at the hospital in Edge, they hurried inside, entering the front entrance, which led to the waiting room. They both weren't able to spot Shera right way. There were people who came to visit their loved ones, and others were waiting to see their doctors. Tifa noticed someone's hand was in the air. She nearly stood on her tip-toes to see who the person was sitting in the back.

"Cloud, I think that's Shera over there," she said.

Cloud, who was slightly taller than Tifa, was able to see Shera. They both walked over to where she was sitting. She glanced up from the magazine she was reading, and she placed it on the small table and stood up.

"Cloud. Tifa. I'm so glad you're here."

"Is everything alright?" Tifa asked.

"I'm glad you asked," said Shera with a smile. "Cid had just woken up from the coma!"

"Really? That's great!" the brunette said excitedly.

"Was he able to say anything?" Cloud later asked. He finally felt the weight being lifted off his shoulders.

"I don't think so, but he moved his head just a bit. The doctors are taking a look at him right now, and they're going to run a few tests. Dr. Krun said he was going to let me know whether or not I'll be able to see Cid."

They all sat down and waited for the doctor to show up. Nearly thirty minutes had passed by. Shera decided to read more of the magazines, while Cloud watched TV. The news was on, so he figured that there could be some information regarding the explosion incident at the construction site. So far, there was no word on it. Tifa rested her head on his shoulder, twisting the wolf-head ring around her finger. He gently nudged her head with his shoulder to get her attention. "You okay?" he asked when she looked up at him.

"Mm-hmm," Tifa replied, smiling gently. "It's kind of cold in here."

The blonde wished he had a jacket to give to her if he knew it was going to be cool in the hospital. He was somewhat cold himself, but he was pretty much used to it, all thanks to those long, snowy days he spent with Tifa when they grew up. Three minutes later, a middle-aged, male doctor approached all three of them. Tifa took a glance at his name tag that was pinned to his white coat, which said, _Dr.E. Krun, M.D._

"Mrs. Highwind?" he said.

"Yes?" Shera quickly stood up.

"I have some good news. Your husband is showing some signs of improvement. His speech is a little unclear at times, but he is responsive."

"Well, that's good to hear," Mrs. Highwind sighed with relief. "Is it okay for us to see him?"

"Sure," Dr. Krun nodded. "Mr. Highwind is in C203, on the third floor. I'll meet you there with the test results later."

Shera thanked him and he headed off to the front desk. Cloud and Tifa followed her to the elevator. They all went up to the third floor and walked down the long and quiet hallway. Mrs. Highwind stopped at the fifth door over to the right. It was opened all the way, so she walked into the room, approaching the sleeping Cid.

"Cid?" she gently tapped him on the shoulder. "Are you okay?" The pilot slowly opened up his eyes and saw his wife. "Tifa and Cloud are here."

Cid moved his head on the pillow and saw the bartender, who had a faint smile. She never liked to see anyone in the hospital, nor did Cloud, but they were at least grateful to see him finally awake from being in a coma for approximately two weeks.

"You remember them, don't you, Cid?" asked Shera, placing her hand on his forehead.

"Cloud and Tifa?" he later said, his voice was a little slurred, but understandable. "I definitely remember Cloud 'cause he looks like a goddamn Chocobo with his hair like that."

Shera gasped and playfully hit him on the shoulder with the back of her hand. Tifa did all she could to hold her laugh. Cloud, however, felt the corners of his mouth being tugged, forcing a grin. It was a bit irritating for him to hear people call him a Chocobo, but this time, he didn't care. The only thing that was important to him was that Cid was okay.

"How are you feeling, Cid?" Tifa asked later.

"Terrible," the pilot grouched. "My head feels like a Bahamut tap-dancin' on it, and my goddamn leg is ichin' in this cast."

Tifa frowned as she looked at Cloud, who asked, "Can you remember what happened on the day of the explosion?"

"It's hard to remember anything with this headache botherin' me," Cid told him.

"Just try to get some rest, okay?" Shera said.

Dr. Krun later showed up at the door with a clipboard in his hand. He softly knocked on the door before entering. "Is everything alright in here?" he asked.

"Everything's fine," Shera replied.

"Good," the doctor walked into the room. "I have the results from the test. I asked Mr. Highwind some simple questions, and I must say that I am amazed by the improvements that he has made. We were all afraid that his condition was going to get worse, but thankfully, he has proven us wrong."

"So when will I be able to go?" Cid asked.

The doctor chuckled quietly and said, "As of right now, we want to keep you for at least two more weeks, just to keep a close eye on your condition. Any more questions?" Cid only shook his head. Dr. Krun smiled politely and walked out.

"Two more weeks?" he later looked at Shera. "What the hell am I suppose to do till then?"

"The doctors are doing the best they can to help you," Shera told him. "The only thing you can do is rest." The pilot grunted, but he knew she was right. Shera looked at Cloud and Tifa. "Thank you so much for being here. I hope I didn't cause any trouble when I called."

And then, he remembered. Cloud remembered he and Tifa were so close to having their first kiss. But was he prepared for it? He didn't know. He had never been close to a woman before, and if Shera had never called him, what kind of kiss would the brunette had given him? He wasn't certain how he would react if she had had the chance to kiss him. Cloud wasn't even sure if he was a good kisser at all!

"Oh…," his cheeks turned crimson at the thought. He could feel Tifa's eyes were on him. He slowly turned his head and indeed she was looking right at him. Her angelic smile caused the sensation to erupt in the pit of his stomach. He turned back over to Shera and said, "You didn't cause any trouble."

Tifa nodded in agreement. "We're just happy to know that Cid is going to be okay," she added.

"Don't worry about me," Cid said. "I'll be back up on my feet before you know it."

The young adults arrived back from the hospital that evening. Their hair and clothes were damp from being out in the rain. Tifa took her shoes off and left them in the laundry room so they could get dry. "I'm going to go and change clothes," she told Cloud.

He nodded and decided to change clothes as well. Afterwards, he went back downstairs and looked out the window. The rain was beginning to pour down even harder. He heard a rumble of thunder in the distance, followed by the sound of feet padding softly down the stairs. Cloud turned around and his eyes widen at the sight of Tifa in a white sports bra with a black pair of sweatpants. Something told him she was getting ready to do some working out. She had kept a punching bag hanging up on a pole in the corner of the laundry room. There was enough room for her to practice on all of her special moves.

Tifa realized that Cloud had been staring at her for awhile, but she just simply smiled at him as she pulled her leather gloves out of her pocket and slipped them on. "If you like, you can watch me practice on my moves," she told him kindly.

Cloud nodded and followed her. He stood in the doorway and leaned against the left side of it, folding his arms. Tifa stood on the balls of her feet, as she started punching the bag with such force. One of the last few punches she made caused the bag to come directly at her. She instantly dodged it and caught it with both of her hands. She brushed her long bangs out of the way and continued. A small grin began to form on Cloud's face as he watched the martial artist. Knowing that she knew how to defend herself, made him feel really good.

Tifa finally stopped to take a break. She looked up and saw Cloud. "Hi." She slowly took deep breaths.

"You're very good," he said, approaching Tifa.

"Thanks. Seems like I'm just as good as you."

"I doubt that," Cloud joked.

Tifa tilted her head slightly to the side. "Really? Then prove it."

Cloud didn't believe she was serious. He never wanted to underestimate her fighting abilities. But that look in those deep brown eyes told him that she was up for the challenge. "Tifa, I was only joking," he tried to explain.

"I know," Tifa said with a short laugh. "But I always wonder what it would be like to go against the Cloud Strife."

The swordsman didn't say anything. Fighting against Tifa was the very last thing he ever wanted to do. Even if it wasn't a serious fight, he refrained. He was afraid of hurting her, but despite her size, the bartender could take on anyone or anything within a second.

"Cloud?" Some concern started to develop in her voice after she noticed the hesitant expression on Cloud's face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he responded slowly. "Are you sure you want to do this? Because I don't want to hurt you."

"Cloud, I know you wouldn't hurt me on purpose. Besides, this is just practice. So, relax and have fun with it."

Still, he hesitated. He sort of wished she would change her mind about this whole thing. But then again, she was right. Tifa only wanted to have fun and she wanted him to do the same. "Well," Cloud started to say. "Are we going to fight in here?"

Tifa looked around. "Maybe we should do it in the living room. We'll have more room there."

They went to the living room and they moved the coffee table over to the side, along with the couch. Tifa had her hands on her hips as she took one last look to see if she needed to move any more stuff out of the way. She went to her room to get the mat from under her bed. She came back and laid it out on the floor.

"Okay," she stood up. "You're ready?"

Cloud swallowed hard, running his fingers through his hair. "I…I think so." He had no idea what he was getting himself into.

They both stepped onto the mat. Tifa balled her hands into fists and holding them up in front of her, spreading her feet apart. Cloud stood back about four inches from her, with his hands still at his sides. He took a deep breath and slowly raised his hands up, tightly closed into fists.

_Relax…_He told himself. He closed his eyes, but then he heard footsteps approaching. As soon as he opened his eyes, Tifa was coming directly at him. He later found himself grabbing her wrist, his eyes made contact with hers, and he could see that she wasn't afraid. She then swept his legs from underneath him, causing him to lose balance and his hold of her. He fell onto his back. He looked at her as if she had done something wrong.

"You're okay?" She tried not to grin after she saw his expression.

"Yeah," Cloud said.

Tifa reached her hand out towards him and pulled him back up. They both got back into the same position as they did before. "We're going to try the same moves again," she told him. Cloud nodded briefly, not taking his focus off of her. She came at him again, he quickly dodged her fist. He turned around and before Tifa could do the same, he grabbed both of her arms, pulled them back towards him, and pinned her down against the mat.

"Ah…," Tifa groaned.

"Are you okay?" Cloud started to panic. He immediately let go of her. She slowly turned around, propped herself up on her elbows. Cloud's eyes frantically searched hers, waiting for a response.

"I-I think…" the brunette winced. "I think my arm is—"

"Tifa, I'm sorry," the swordsman interrupted, feeling completely guilty. "Let me see your—"

Before he could finish, Tifa unexpectedly pounced on him, grabbing both of his wrists and pinning them above his head. She had both of her legs on either side of him so he couldn't escape.

"Gotcha," Tifa giggled as she studied Cloud's face. He was shocked, but yet, he was very impressed by her trick.

"You cheated," he said, grinning.

"I did not."

They started laughing, but Cloud stopped shortly after he realized how close they were. Tifa later realized that, too. The grip on Cloud's wrists lessen. She felt like she had just made a big mistake by pouncing on top of him, and she couldn't tell what he was thinking. He remained still, but Tifa quickly got off of him and stood back. She was completely embarrassed, and she was pretty sure that he was too. She headed towards the window, her arms folded over her chest. "I am so sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

Cloud pushed himself up and made his way to her. He did not know whether to touch her or just stay where he was. "Tifa?" he spoke softly. "You didn't do anything wrong."

The bartender unfolded her arms and turned around. Cloud stepped a little closer to her. One arm moved up, his hand reaching out to touch her soft hair. His fingers tunneled through it. Tifa found herself lost in his blue eyes. Next thing you know, her eyes were stuck on his lips. She had had her chance to kiss them, but it was cut short, due to Shera's unexpecting phone call. It was a little disappointing, but it was worth it because knowing that one of her friends was going to be okay was what matter the most. And plus, she knew that she would always get a second chance at locking lips with Cloud. But the question was: Could this be it?

Cloud slid his hand down to Tifa's left cheek. He gently placed his thumb on her lips and felt how smooth and tender they were. Tifa raised her left hand up and placed it on top of his, giving it a gentle squeeze. Cloud's heart was now filled with love that was growing so strong, and so was the passion. He couldn't think straight; his love for Tifa was taking over his entire body. He moved his thumb away from her mouth and slid his hand behind the nape of her neck. His other arm was wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him. Tifa's heart began to beat rapidly when her breasts were pressed against his broad chest. She couldn't believe that he was so calm and relaxed, but simultaneously, she was glad that he was finally stepping up.

She wrapped her arms around Cloud's neck, and both of his arms were now around her waist. Slowly but surely, their faces were getting closer and closer. Close enough for their lips to touch. The swordsman closed his eyes and then, he felt something warm and soft pressing against his mouth. Tifa's mouth was on his. She later parted her lips, putting passion into the kiss. Cloud couldn't keep himself from wondering if he was a good kisser or not. He mentally forced himself to get rid of those thoughts and he began to move his mouth right along with Tifa's. Taking his precious time to feel and taste the texture of her lips. He couldn't control his own body as his hands started to roam around, feeling the bartender's skin beneath his palms. His hands stopped when they were on her bare back. Tifa, on the other hand, clutched onto his shirt and the passion got deeper, making her knees weak as she continued to feel Cloud's lips taking over hers.

She couldn't breathe nor could she think. She was trapped in a fantasy she had longed for since the day she and the ex-Soldier became friends. A small moan was stuck in the middle of her throat. She had to stop but another side of her wanted to keep going. She felt as though this could be her only chance to live in a moment like this. _"Dammit, Cloud."_ She thought. _"Why must you tease me like this?"_ She moved her hands onto his chest, trying to break the kiss. Just as soon as her hands touched his chest, Cloud opened his eyes and he slowly departed his lips from Tifa's. Both of them had to catch their breath after that intensifying moment. They stared at each other for awhile, listening to the rain pounding on the roof.

"Wow," Tifa said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I-I don't know what to say…"

"Sorry," Cloud said. "I couldn't control myself…."

"No," Tifa laughed. "It's not that. It's just I never thought you had it in you."

"I guess I do have it in me. Maybe it's because I lo—"

There was a huge rumble of thunder, catching the couple off guard. The bartender shrieked, burying her face in the crook of Cloud's neck. "I hate thunder." He heard her say. A small grin formed on his lips. He rested his chin on the crown of Tifa's head and embraced her tightly.

**To Be Continued....  
**

**A/N:**I hope I did okay with the kissing scene. I kind of got carried away with it. The name "Dr. E. Krun" was something I made up. Sadly, I didn't know what his first name should have been, so I just said forget it. He's only going to appear in the story once, anyway. I was trying to think of a name that sort of sounds like it could be part of Final Fantasy. I couldn't think of a better name for Cid's doctor. I hope I kept Cid in character and Shera as well. I know he swears a lot. ;P


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